Mast-arm for incandescent street-lights.



Patented Dec. 10, l90l.

R. J. PATTEBSDN.

MAST ARM FOB INGANDESCENT STREET LIGHTS.

(Application filed. Mar. 14, 1901.)

(No Model.)

m/zwy I UNITED STATES RALPH J. PATTERSON, OF WOBURN,

PATENT OFFICE.

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF TYYO- THIRDS TO L. R. WALLIS, OF WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, AND N. H. BOLEWINE, OF WOBURN, MASSACHUSETTS.

MAST-ARM FOR INCANDESOENT STREET-LIGHTS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 688,435, dated December 10, 1901.-

Application filed March 14, 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH J. PATTERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Woburn, county of Middlesex, State of Massa- 5 chusetts, have invented an Improvement in Mast-Arms for Incandescent Street-Lights, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like numerals on the drawings IO representing like parts.

It is the object of my invention to provide a novel form of mast-arm for incandescent street-lights which will be very simple and inexpensive to manufacture and yet which will I 5 provide means for adjusting the lamp-fixture to any position in the mast-arm.

Where incandescent lamps are used for lighting streets,it is extremely desirable many times to adjust the lamp-fixture on the mast:

2 arm so as to avoid the obstruction caused by trees, 850., and to meet the demand for such an article I have devised the novel form of mast-arm herein illustrated, which comprises a slotted tube secured in any suitable way to 2 a mast or pole and in which a runner is slidably mounted, said runner having, preferably, the same contour as the interior of the tube and having a lug depending through the slot, to which the lamp-fixture is attached. I

0 have also provided suitable lockin g devices to automatically lock the runner in its adjusted position, said locking devices comprising a suitable pawl attached to the runner and adapted to engage a notch in the tube. A

5 suitable manually-operated cam-lever is pivoted to the runner, said cam-lever operating to disengage the pawl from the notch whenever it is desired to shift the position of the runner in the tube.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved mast-arm. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the same, showing the runner and the locking devices. Fig. 3 is a section on the line w,Fig. 5 1. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of a portion of the tube comprising the mast-arm; and Fig. 5 is a section on the line y, Fig. 2.

The mast or pole to which the light-fixture is attached is designated by 3, and it has secured to the top thereof in any suitable way Serial No. 51,035. (No model.)

the mast-arm 4, which is preferably in the form of a tube, having a slot 5 in its under side, said tubular mast-arm being secured to the mast 3 in any suitable way, as by the flanged socket-piece 6, the end of the tube having any suitable cap 7 thereon. Supported in the tube for sliding movement is the elongated runner 8, and in order to make the device simple and inexpensive I preferably make the said runner 8 with a cross-sectional shape to fit the lower half of the tube, and as the tube illustrated in this application is circular in cross-section the transverse section of the runner 8 will be half-round. Depending from the runner and through the slot is the projection 9, which is screw threaded, as shown, and to which the lamp-fixture 10 is secured, which lampfixture being of any usual or ordinary kind needs no further description.

In the use of the device it is desirable to provide means for locking the runner in its adjusted position in the mast-arm 4, and for this purpose I have provided the said runner with the pawl, which is adapted to engage a notch 12 inthe bottom of the tube or mastarm 4.' The pawl is conveniently made by securing the nose 13 in any suitable way to a spring-arm 14, which in turn is suitably secured to the top of the runner, as by means of screws 15, and the runner is provided with a notch or opening 16, through which the nose 13 of the pawl projects. (See dotted lines, Fig. 4.) The nose 13 is Wider than the slot 5 in the mast-arm 4, and consequently as the runner is moved from one position to the other the said nose rests on the bottom of the tube and spans the said slot 5. When, however, any notch 12 is reached, the elasticity of the arm 14 forces the nose of the pawl into the. notch, and thereby automatically locks the runner in the adjusted position. To release the pawl from the notch when it is desired to shift the positionof the runner, I preferably provide the cam-lever 18, which is piv- 5 otally mounted in the notch or slot 16 of the runner S and has the camsurface 19, which is adapted to engage the arm 14 of the pawl; Preferably the camlever 18 will project through the slot 5 of the runner-arm and will 10o be provided with the hook 20,which is adapted to be engaged by a pole having ahook or eye in its end or any other suitable instrument which the operator may have with him. The dotted-line position in Fig. 2 shows the position of the cam-lever 18 when the pawl is to be released from the notch 12.

In practice the notch 12 in each mast-arm will be so positioned that when the fixture is in place and locked by means of the pawl the light will be clear of any obstructions at the particular place where the pole is situated, and the arrangement of pawl and notch is such that whenever it is desired to bring the fixture in toward the pole for any purpose the operator by means of the pole or other implement will engage the hook 20, when by pulling on the pole the cam -lever will be swung to the dotted-line position in Fig. 2, and in doing so release the pawl from the notch. Continued force applied to the pole or implement will pull the runner in toward the pole or mast and within reach of the operator. The lamp fixture may then be cleaned or have broken parts renewed, &e., and when again in readiness for use the operator will push the runner back to its proper position by means of the pole, the cam-lever during this operation being swung to the right slightly past the full-line position, Fig. 2, and contacting with the stop 60, the nose of the pawl resting on the bottom of the tube and spanning the slot 5, as stated above. When the notch 12 is reached, the pawl automatically drops into the same, and thus securely locks the runner in its proper position.

In Fig. 1 the pole or implement for releasing the pawl and shifting the runner is shown at 21, and for convenience said pole may when not in use be supported from the hook 20 at one end and from a hook-support 22 at the other.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided an adjustable runner to which an incandescent street-fixture may be attached, which runner may be adjusted to its proper position in the mast-arm, automatic means being provided to lock the arm in such adjusted position and manually-operated devices being provided to release the look when it is desired to shift the runner. The lampfixture, therefore, may be placed in such a position with relation to the mast-arm as to avoid having the light obstructed by trees or other obstructions, and when it is desired to renew any parts of the lamp-fixture which maybe broken the said fixture may be brought close to the pole within convenient reach of the operator.

To steady the mast-arm, I preferably provide the guy-ropes 30, which are fastened at one end either side of the pole and at the other end to the clamp 31, which surrounds the mast-arm, as shown in Fig. 3, a screw-eye 32, to which the guy-ropes 30 are fastened, be-

ing screwed into the upper end of said clamp and bearing against the upper side of the mast-arm 4 to hold the clamp 31 in adjusted position. Shouldtheguy-ropesbecomeslackened, the clamp may be readily shifted on the mast-arm to take up the slack and keep them taut.

Various changes maybe made in the structure of the device without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. Amastarm for electric lights comprising a horizontal slotted tube and having aportion depending through said slot, a runner slidably mounted in said tube and adapted to support the light, and means to automatically lock said runner in its adjusted position in the tube.

2. A mast-arm for electric lights comprising a slotted tube, a runner shaped to fit the interior of the tube and slidably mounted therein, said runner having a portion depending through said slot and adapted to support the light, and means to automatically lock said runner in its adjusted position in the tube.

3. A mast-arm for electric lights comprising a slotted tube, a runner slidably mounted therein, said runner having a portion depending through said slot and adapted to support the light, means to automatically lock said runner in its adjusted position in the tube, and man ually-operated devices to release said locking mechanism and shift the runner.

4-. A mast-arm for electric lights comprising a slotted tube, a runner shaped to fit the interior of the tube and slidably mounted therein, a lug or projection depending from said runner and adapted to support the light, means to automatically lock said runner in its adjusted position in the tube, and manu ally-operated devices to release the lock and shift the runner.

5. A mast-arm for electric lights comprising a slotted tube, a runner slidably mounted therein, and adapted to support the light, a spring-pawl secured to the runner and adapted to engage a notch in the tube, whereby the runner may be locked against movement.

6. A mast-arm for electric lights comprising a slotted tube, a runner shaped to fit the tube and slidably mounted therein, said run ner being adapted to support the light, a spring-pawl secured to the runner and adapted to engage a notch in the tube, and manually-operated devices to disengage the pawl from the notch when it is desired to shift the position of the runner.

7. A mast-arm for electric lights comprising a slotted tube, a runner slidably mounted in said tube adapted to support a light, a spring-pawl secured to the runner and adapted to engage a notch in the tube, and a camlever pivoted to the runner and adapted to engage said pawl and release the same when it is desired to shift the position of the runner.

8. A mast-arm for electric lights comprising a slotted tube, a runner shaped to fit the interior of the tube and slidably mounted therein, said runner having a projection depending through the slot and adapted to support the light, a spring-pawl secured to the top of the runnerand projecting through the same, a notch on the under side of the tube, cooperating with said pawl, and a cam-lever pivoted to the runner and projecting through the slot, said cam-lever being adapted to engage the pawl and release the same from the notch.

9. A mast-arm for electric lights comprising a slotted tube, the sides of the slots being 7 provided with oppositely-disposed notches, a

runner slidably mounted in said tube, and adapted to support a light, aspring-pawl secured to the runner and adapted to engage said notches, the nose of the pawl being wider than the slot,whereby,as the runner is shifted, the nose of the pawl will automatically drop into the notches. 10. A mast-arm for electric lights comprising a slot-ted tube,oppositely-disposed notches in the walls of the slot, a runner slidably mounted in said tube and adapted to support the light, a spring-pawl secured to the upper surface of said runner and having its nose projecting through a slot therein, the nose of said pawl being wider than the slot in the tube,and adapted to engage the notches therein, and a cam-lever pivoted in said slot of the runner and depending through the slot of the tube, said cam-lever operating to release the nose of the pawl from the notches in the tube. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' RALPH J. PATTERSON.

Witnesses: v

GEO. W. GREGORY, Louis 0. SMITH. 

